Accomodations Involving Materials - Use of audio recording- The use of audio recording often is an excellent aid in overcoming this problem. Directions, stories, and specific lessona can be recorded on tape, a computer, or an audo file for an MP3 player. The student can replay the audio to clarify understanding of directions or concepts. Also, to improve reading skills, the student can read the printed words sliently as they are presented on the audio file. Clarify or simplfy written directions- These can be overwhelming to some students. The teacher can help by underlining or highlighting the significant parts of the directions. Rewriting the directions is often helpful. Present small amount of work- The teacher can tear pages from workbooks and materials to present small assignments to students who are anxious about the amount of work to be done. This technique prevents students from examining an entire workbook, text or material and becoming discouraged by the amount of work. Also, the teacher can reduce the amount of work when it appears redundent. For example only assigning the odd number of problems to the student. Block out extraneous stimuli-If the student is distracted easily by visual stimuli on a full worksheet or page then a blank sheet of paper can be used to cover sections of the page not being worked on at that time. Also, line markers can be used to aid reading and windows can be used to display individual math problems. Highlight essential information-If an adolescent can read a regular textbook but had diffculty finding the essential information, the teacher can mark this information with a highlight pen. Locate place in consumable material -the student can make a diagonal cut across the lower right hand corner of the pages as they are completed. With all the completed pages cut, the student and teacher readily can locate the next page that needs to be corrected or completed. Provide additional practice activities-some materials do not provide enough practice activities for students with learning problems to acquire mastery on selected skills. Teachers then must supplement the material with practice activities. Recommended practice exercises include instructional games, peer teaching activities, self-correcting materials, computer software programs and additional worksheets. Provide a glossary in content areas-At the secondary level, he specific language of the content areas requires careful reading. Students often benefit from a glossary of content-related terms. Develop reading guides-A reading guide provides the student with a road map of what is written and features periodic questions to help him or her focus on relevant content. It helps the reader understand the main ideas and sort out the numerous etails related to the main ideas. A reading guide can be developed across paragraphs, pages, or sections. Accomodations Involving Interactive Instruction Use explicit teaching procedures: Many commercial materials do not cue teachers to use explicit teaching procedures; thus, the teacher often must adapt material to include these procedures. Before instruction: Not time allocated for instruction, Determine lesson objective, List preskills to review. During instruction: Frame lesson ("today we are going to learn..." This is important because") Present target skill (e.g. "listen and watch as I show you), Guide Practice (e.g. "Let's try this one together") Correct errors and provide feedback, Prepare for independent practice (e.g. "Let's do the first one together) After Instruction: Monitor independent practice (e.g. circulate throughout the room and provide feedback to students through brief interactions.) Review new skills (e.g. review skills at the end of the lesson and systematically throughout the instructional year. Repeat directions: students who have difficulty following directions often are helped by asking them to repeat the directions in their own words. The student can repeat the directions to a peer when the teacher is unavailable. Maintain daily routines: Many students with learning problems need the structure of daily routines to know and do what is expected. Provide a copy of lecture notes; Teacher can give a copy of lecture nots to students who have difficulty taking notes during presentations. Provide students with graphic organizer: An outline, chart, or blank web can be given to student to fill in during presentations. This helps students listen for key information and see the relationships among concepts and related information. Use step by step instruction:New or difficult information can be presented in small sequential steps. This helps learners wth limited prior knowledge who need explicit or part to whole instruction. Combine verbal and visual information: Verbal information can be provided with visual displays. write key points or words on the chalkboard: Prior to a presentation the teacher can write new vocabulary words and key points on the chalkboard or overhead transparency. Use balanced presentations and activities: An effort should be made to balance oral presentations with visual information and participatory activities. Also, there should be a balance between large-group, small-group, and individual activities. Use mnemonic instruction:Mnemonic devices can be used to help students remember key information or steps in a learning strategy. Emphasize daily review-daily reviews of previous learning or lessons can help students connect new information with prior knowledge. Accomodations Involving Student Performance
n Change response mode. For students who have difficulty with fine motor responses (such as handwriting) the response mode can be changed to underlining, selecting from multiple choices, sorting, or marking. Students with fine motor problems can be given extra space for writing answers on worksheets or can be allowed to respond on individual chalkboards.
n Provide an outline of the lecture. –an outline enables some students to follow the lesson successfully and make appropriate notes. Moreover, an outline helps students to see the organization of the material and ask timely questions.
n Encourage use of graphic organizers. – the can use this in the following steps 1. List the topic on the first line, 2. Collect and divide the information into major headings, 3. List all information relating to major headings on index cards, 4. Organize information into major areas, 5. Place information under appropriate subheadings and 6. Place information into the organizer format.
n Place students close to the teacher. –students with attention problems can be seated close to the teacher, chalkboard, or work area and away from distracting sounds materials or others.
n Encourage use of assignment books or calendars. –students can use calendars to record assignments due dates, list school-related activities, record test dates and schedule timelines for schoolwork.
n Reduce copying activities. –student copying activities can be minimized by including the information activity on handouts or worksheets.
n Have students turn lined paper vertically for math. Lined paper can be turned vertically to help students keep numbers in appropriate columns when computing math problems.
n Use cues to denote important items.- Asterisks or bullets can denote questions or activities that count heavily in evaluation. This helps students spend time appropriately during tests or assignments.
n Design hierarchical worksheets. The teacher can design worksheets with problems arranged from easiest to hardest. Early success helps students begin to work.
n Allow use of instructional aids. Students can be provided with letter and number strips to help them write correctly. Number lines, counters and calculators help students compute once they understand the mathematical operations.
n Display work samples. –Samples of completed assignments can be displayed to help students realize expectations and plan accordingly.
n Use peer-mediated learning.-the teacher can pair peers of different ability levels to review their notes, study for a test, read aloud to each other, read directions or word problems in math, write stories, or conduct laboratory experiments.
n Encourage note sharing. –a student can use carbon paper or notebook computer to take notes and then share them with absentees and students with learning problems. This helps students who have difficulty taking notes to concentrate on the presentation.
n Use flexible work times. –students who work slowly can be given additional time to complete written assignments.
n Provide additional practice. –students require different amounts of practice to master skills or content many students with learning problems need additional practice to learn at a fluency level.
n Use assignment substitutions or adjustments. –Students can be allowed to complete projects instead of oral reports or vice versa. Also, tests can be given in an oral or written format. For example, if a student has a writing problem the teacher can allow her or him to outline information and give an oral presentation instead of writing the paper.
Taken from: Teaching Students with Learning Problems Eighth Eidition By Cecil Mercer, Ann Mercer, and Paige Pullen
- Use of audio recording- The use of audio recording often is an excellent aid in overcoming this problem. Directions, stories, and specific lessona can be recorded on tape, a computer, or an audo file for an MP3 player. The student can replay the audio to clarify understanding of directions or concepts. Also, to improve reading skills, the student can read the printed words sliently as they are presented on the audio file.
Clarify or simplfy written directions- These can be overwhelming to some students. The teacher can help by underlining or highlighting the significant parts of the directions. Rewriting the directions is often helpful.
Present small amount of work- The teacher can tear pages from workbooks and materials to present small assignments to students who are anxious about the amount of work to be done. This technique prevents students from examining an entire workbook, text or material and becoming discouraged by the amount of work. Also, the teacher can reduce the amount of work when it appears redundent. For example only assigning the odd number of problems to the student.
Block out extraneous stimuli-If the student is distracted easily by visual stimuli on a full worksheet or page then a blank sheet of paper can be used to cover sections of the page not being worked on at that time. Also, line markers can be used to aid reading and windows can be used to display individual math problems.
Highlight essential information-If an adolescent can read a regular textbook but had diffculty finding the essential information, the teacher can mark this information with a highlight pen.
Locate place in consumable material -the student can make a diagonal cut across the lower right hand corner of the pages as they are completed. With all the completed pages cut, the student and teacher readily can locate the next page that needs to be corrected or completed.
Provide additional practice activities-some materials do not provide enough practice activities for students with learning problems to acquire mastery on selected skills. Teachers then must supplement the material with practice activities. Recommended practice exercises include instructional games, peer teaching activities, self-correcting materials, computer software programs and additional worksheets.
Provide a glossary in content areas-At the secondary level, he specific language of the content areas requires careful reading. Students often benefit from a glossary of content-related terms.
Develop reading guides-A reading guide provides the student with a road map of what is written and features periodic questions to help him or her focus on relevant content. It helps the reader understand the main ideas and sort out the numerous etails related to the main ideas. A reading guide can be developed across paragraphs, pages, or sections.
Accomodations Involving Interactive Instruction
Use explicit teaching procedures: Many commercial materials do not cue teachers to use explicit teaching procedures; thus, the teacher often must adapt material to include these procedures. Before instruction: Not time allocated for instruction, Determine lesson objective, List preskills to review. During instruction: Frame lesson ("today we are going to learn..." This is important because") Present target skill (e.g. "listen and watch as I show you), Guide Practice (e.g. "Let's try this one together") Correct errors and provide feedback, Prepare for independent practice (e.g. "Let's do the first one together) After Instruction: Monitor independent practice (e.g. circulate throughout the room and provide feedback to students through brief interactions.) Review new skills (e.g. review skills at the end of the lesson and systematically throughout the instructional year.
Repeat directions: students who have difficulty following directions often are helped by asking them to repeat the directions in their own words. The student can repeat the directions to a peer when the teacher is unavailable.
Maintain daily routines: Many students with learning problems need the structure of daily routines to know and do what is expected.
Provide a copy of lecture notes; Teacher can give a copy of lecture nots to students who have difficulty taking notes during presentations.
Provide students with graphic organizer: An outline, chart, or blank web can be given to student to fill in during presentations. This helps students listen for key information and see the relationships among concepts and related information.
Use step by step instruction:New or difficult information can be presented in small sequential steps. This helps learners wth limited prior knowledge who need explicit or part to whole instruction.
Combine verbal and visual information: Verbal information can be provided with visual displays.
write key points or words on the chalkboard: Prior to a presentation the teacher can write new vocabulary words and key points on the chalkboard or overhead transparency.
Use balanced presentations and activities: An effort should be made to balance oral presentations with visual information and participatory activities. Also, there should be a balance between large-group, small-group, and individual activities.
Use mnemonic instruction:Mnemonic devices can be used to help students remember key information or steps in a learning strategy.
Emphasize daily review-daily reviews of previous learning or lessons can help students connect new information with prior knowledge.
Accomodations Involving Student Performance
n Change response mode. For students who have difficulty with fine motor responses (such as handwriting) the response mode can be changed to underlining, selecting from multiple choices, sorting, or marking. Students with fine motor problems can be given extra space for writing answers on worksheets or can be allowed to respond on individual chalkboards.
n Provide an outline of the lecture. –an outline enables some students to follow the lesson successfully and make appropriate notes. Moreover, an outline helps students to see the organization of the material and ask timely questions.
n Encourage use of graphic organizers. – the can use this in the following steps 1. List the topic on the first line, 2. Collect and divide the information into major headings, 3. List all information relating to major headings on index cards, 4. Organize information into major areas, 5. Place information under appropriate subheadings and 6. Place information into the organizer format.
n Place students close to the teacher. –students with attention problems can be seated close to the teacher, chalkboard, or work area and away from distracting sounds materials or others.
n Encourage use of assignment books or calendars. –students can use calendars to record assignments due dates, list school-related activities, record test dates and schedule timelines for schoolwork.
n Reduce copying activities. –student copying activities can be minimized by including the information activity on handouts or worksheets.
n Have students turn lined paper vertically for math. Lined paper can be turned vertically to help students keep numbers in appropriate columns when computing math problems.
n Use cues to denote important items.- Asterisks or bullets can denote questions or activities that count heavily in evaluation. This helps students spend time appropriately during tests or assignments.
n Design hierarchical worksheets. The teacher can design worksheets with problems arranged from easiest to hardest. Early success helps students begin to work.
n Allow use of instructional aids. Students can be provided with letter and number strips to help them write correctly. Number lines, counters and calculators help students compute once they understand the mathematical operations.
n Display work samples. –Samples of completed assignments can be displayed to help students realize expectations and plan accordingly.
n Use peer-mediated learning.-the teacher can pair peers of different ability levels to review their notes, study for a test, read aloud to each other, read directions or word problems in math, write stories, or conduct laboratory experiments.
n Encourage note sharing. –a student can use carbon paper or notebook computer to take notes and then share them with absentees and students with learning problems. This helps students who have difficulty taking notes to concentrate on the presentation.
n Use flexible work times. –students who work slowly can be given additional time to complete written assignments.
n Provide additional practice. –students require different amounts of practice to master skills or content many students with learning problems need additional practice to learn at a fluency level.
n Use assignment substitutions or adjustments. –Students can be allowed to complete projects instead of oral reports or vice versa. Also, tests can be given in an oral or written format. For example, if a student has a writing problem the teacher can allow her or him to outline information and give an oral presentation instead of writing the paper.
Taken from: Teaching Students with Learning Problems Eighth Eidition By Cecil Mercer, Ann Mercer, and Paige Pullen